Harvest Trail Inquiry
Learn about our campaign and inquiry to help employers and employees on the Harvest trail understand their rights and meet their obligations under Australian workplace laws.
On this page:
- About the Harvest Trail
- Harvest Trail Inquiry Report
- Inquiry outcome
- Horticulture Compliance Report
- Tools and resources
- Related information
About the Harvest Trail
Every year, seasonal harvest workers follow the ‘Harvest Trail’ of ripening fruit, vegetables and other crops around Australia. From January grape picking in the Hunter Valley to autumn apples in Tasmania, October mangoes in the Northern Territory and cherries at Christmas time, the horticulture and viticulture industries employ many travellers and seasoned harvesters.
The horticulture sector is key area of focus for FWO. Our experience of working with employers and employees in the horticulture industry has shown there is often:
- confusion about employer obligations, including how to use piecework records
- a lack of understanding about grower’s obligations when using a labour hire service.
Harvest Trail Inquiry Report
Our Harvest Trail Inquiry started in August 2013. We focused on visiting and revisiting Harvest Trail regions to help employers and employees understand their workplace rights and obligations.
We looked at issues such as:
- minimum wages and conditions, including piece rates
- record keeping and pay slips
- labour hire and supply chain issues.
Some of the discoveries we made during our Harvest Trail Inquiry include:
- misuse of piece rates
- a negative impact where labour hire arrangements were used illegally
- low consumer awareness and unwillingness to pay more for ‘domestic fair trade’ produce contributes to exploitation.
The Harvest Trail Inquiry Report details our efforts and what we found out during this period.
Download the full Harvest Trail Inquiry Report Harvest Trail Inquiry Report
Inquiry outcome
The Harvest Trail Inquiry found widespread non-compliance. Our Inspectors recovered over $1 million in unpaid wages for over 2,500 workers.
Read more at Harvest Trail Inquiry recovers $1 million for workers.
Horticulture Compliance Report
In response to the non-compliance issues found in the Harvest Trail Inquiry, we developed our Horticulture Strategy.
We investigated growers and labour hire providers in 15 key regional hot spots identified as high-risk for non-compliance with workplace laws.
Learn more about our Horticulture Compliance Report.
